Ceto, which opened last month on the Riviera, is the first haute cuisine French restaurant of the 21st century. It’s almost shockingly exceptional, because chef Mauro Colagreco knows exactly how to transport his guests away from the angst caused by the coronavirus, climate change, and poisoned politics.

“We need comfort and hope. We need to be reminded of the beauty of the world,” says the Argentine-born Colagreco, 45, who also runs the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Mirazur, just a few miles away in Menton. He is regularly declared to be the best chef in the world by numerous culinary competitions and rankings.